Norse runic axes with rune cut heads and hafts
Every axe in this archive carries runes. Some have a rune line etched along the cheek of the head, some a rune band around the beard, some a brass rune collar at the shoulder of the haft or a rune line carved down the wood, and two ship with a rune carved presentation box or wall mount. The heads are the Norse bearded pattern, forged from plain 1095 or from 1095 and 15N20 Damascus, on ash, walnut or hickory hafts. Sizes run from a 15 inch hand axe to a 34 inch two handed piece, and the title of each listing gives the length and where the runes sit.
It is for the buyer who wants the runes to be part of the object rather than something added later. That means collectors of Norse pieces, people with Scandinavian family who want an heirloom with a message on it, wedding parties who want a rune line across the groomsmen’s axes, and anyone who wants a display axe that says something specific when you read it.
What to look for
Read what the runes say before you buy where the listing gives it. Look at where they sit: runes on the head are permanent and will outlast the haft, runes on the haft are carved into the wood and will wear with handling. Decide between the two steels. A plain 1095 head at 54 to 58 HRC is tougher and easier to touch up; a Damascus head at 58 to 60 HRC holds a keener edge and puts the folded pattern behind the runes, which is the harder combination to photograph and the better one in the hand. If you want your own runes, most of these heads have room for a second line cut in the United States.
How the axes are made and where
Ransack Viking is a Memphis, Tennessee company. These axes are made by hand in the Czech Republic the old way. The head is forged and ground, the runes on the steel are etched or struck there, the haft is shaped, carved and wedged there, and the leather cover is cut there. Each axe is imported, inspected at our Memphis warehouse and shipped from Memphis. Any additional engraving you order, a name, a date or a second rune line, is cut in the United States before dispatch.
Care is brief. Wipe the head dry and oil it after handling, and keep the leather cover off during long storage so damp does not sit on the edge.
Related archives
The same heads without the runes are in bearded axes, and the longer two handed pieces in battle axes. Everything with an edge and a haft is in Viking axes, and the pieces that take a name or a date are collected in engraved and personalized. To read the runes and the Valknut, Vegvisir and Helm of Awe marks that share these heads, see Viking symbols and their meanings.
Frequently asked questions
Which rune alphabet is used?
Our own added engraving uses Elder Futhark, the 24 rune row used across Scandinavia from around the second to the eighth century. The runes cut at the workshop follow the same row where the listing names it.
Can I choose my own runes?
Yes, as an added engraving. Tell us the word or name and we transliterate it into Elder Futhark and cut it in the United States before the axe ships. The runes forged into the head at the workshop cannot be changed.
Are the runes historically accurate?
The alphabet is. The words are modern choices, names and short phrases, since surviving Viking Age axe heads carry ornament rather than long inscriptions.
Are these axes sharp?
Yes. Each head is ground and sharpened by hand before shipping and checked in Memphis. Treat them as working tools.
Will runes on the haft wear away?
Slowly, with years of handling. A coat of oil or wax on the wood each year slows it. Runes on the steel head do not wear.
10 matching pieces
Free US shipping
On every order, no minimum.
Hand Forged
Heated, hammered and ground by hand.
Engraving available
Names, dates or Norse runes on most pieces.
